Free Self-Guided Telegraph Hill Walk in San Francisco

Today I want to bring you my self-guided Telegraph Hill walk in San Francisco. This part of the City by the Bay is famous for the iconic form of Coit Tower (not to mention the wild parrots), but there’s a lot more to discover than that. Telegraph Hill is one of the most beloved neighborhoods in San Francisco, and it’s a fun place to discover on foot. My walking route will lead you to the best viewpoints and hidden stairways in the area as you explore the landmarks and side streets locals love. I’ve included a map and information about the distance and time as well.

Telegraph Hill Walk

Telegraph Hill is one of my favorite parts of San Francisco. I’ve been coming here my whole life, and today and I’m excited to share my top picks for places to discover with you. From Coit Tower to the Filbert Steps, famous views to pretty houses, there’s plenty to love about this neighborhood.

My favorite thing about Telegraph Hill is its hidden stairways. From quirky gardens to wooden houses and pretty flowers, they feature a lot of the things I adore about San Francisco.

My Telegraph Hill walk is the ideal way to get into this part of the city’s local scene, explore the side streets, take in the views, and discover a neighborhood locals love to spend time in. If you’re lucky, you might spot a parrot or ten (they were made famous by the book The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill).

Helpful Tips and Guidelines

This self-guided walking tour involves some of San Francisco’s (in)famous hills. As such, it’s a good idea to wear comfortable walking shoes, bring water, and go at your own pace.

As always, walk safely, obey traffic rules, and only use authorized crossing points as you go (but you knew that).

If you prefer a guided tour, there are plenty of good ones to choose from. They’re great ways to see the City by the Bay with an experienced local. You can see options and book one here.

Telegraph Hill Walk Route

My self-guided Telegraph Hill walk starts at the intersection of Union and Grant. You can arrive by local bus, by bike (preferably e-bike, as the hills here are steep), or on foot from North Beach, Chinatown, and other parts of the city.

Begin your walk by heading north on Grant towards Filbert. This is one of my favorite places to shop in the city, and it’s a great spot to do some browsing and buying if you like to mix walking with a bit of shopping.

Whether you shop or not, make your way a couple blocks up on Grant, taking in the peek-a-boo view of Coit Tower down Gerke Alley as you go. When you reach Greenwich, turn right and head up the hill. You’ll see some of the colorful buildings the area is known for here.

Coit Tower

When you reach the top of Greenwich, continue up the stairway on your right side. It will lead you to Telegraph Hill Blvd. Cross over it when you get there and continue up the next set of stairs through Pioneer Park. The park was established in 1876 on the former site of the 1850 telegraph station that gave this area its name.

When you reach the top of the stairs, you’ll find a snack kiosk to your left and the 210-foot form of Coit Tower to your right. The latter is a famous San Francisco landmark. Built in 1933, it was named after its wealthy benefactress, Lillie Hitchcock Coit.

Coit made a bequest to the city “for the purpose of adding to the beauty of the city I have always loved.” The funds were used to build Coit Tower and a monument to San Francisco’s volunteer firefighters, of whom she was a patron, in Washington Square.

You can go up into Coit Tower to take in the murals at the bottom and the views from the top if you want to. You can also walk around the parking lot to take in the views of the city below. Either way, you’ve earned it after climbing all those steps!

Greenwich Steps

When you’re done at Coit Tower, continue your Telegraph Hill walk by heading east across Telegraph Hill Blvd and down a narrow flight of brick steps near the parking lot. These are the Greenwich Steps, and they’re a great introduction to the quirky character of the neighborhood.

Follow the Greenwich Steps down to where they meet Montgomery Street, taking in the lush gardens and pretty houses as you go. Make sure to keep an eye out for seasonal blooms and hidden artworks, too.

When you reach Montgomery, you can walk straight ahead to take in the views of the San Francisco Bay. You might spot a cruise ship if there’s one in port while you’re doing the walk.

Once you’ve soaked up the panoramas, continue your Telegraph Hill walk by heading to the right down Montgomery Street and taking your first left to get onto the next segment of the Greenwich Steps. They’ll take you through more enchanted gardens and past local homes as you make your way down to where Greenwich Street meets Sansome.

When you get there, you’ll be near the Embarcadero waterfront. Continue straight on Greenwich, then turn right on Battery. If you want to, you can rest your legs in the park in front of you or at one of the cafes, bars, or restaurants along the Embarcadero (Pier 23 is a local favorite).

If not, continue your Telegraph Hill walk by heading along Battery and turning right into Levi’s Plaza. Here you’ll be able to see the headquarters of Levi Strauss & Co., the famous San Francisco denim company that invented the blue jeans.

Walk all the way through the plaza, then continue straight across Sansome to get to Filbert Street. Soon you’ll come to the Filbert Steps, the sister stairway to the Greenwich one you just walked down.

Head up the steps, taking in more of Telegraph Hill’s quirky gardens and colorful houses as you make your way up to Montgomery. There are lots of details to admire here, so make sure to give yourself time to absorb them.

A highlight is the Grace Marchant Garden. It was created by local resident Grace Marchant starting in 1949, when the area was nothing more than a garbage dump. She spent 33 years beautifying it, and it’s been tended by others since her death in 1982. Today you can see everything from roses to foxgloves here.

When you reach Montgomery, turn left and walk up the tree-lined hill. As you go, you can peer down Alta Street to take in the colorful buildings and view of the Bay Bridge at the end.

When you reach the top of the hill and the intersection with Union Street, you’ll see the Transamerica Pyramid in the distance. If you look left, you’ll see more Bay Bridge views, too.

Continue straight across Union and walk down to where the cars are parked above the Montgomery Street Steps and just past Montague Place. You can take in the views of the skyscrapers in the Financial District here. You’ll see everything from 555 California Street to the Salesforce Tower.

When you’re done admiring the views, turn around and retrace your steps to Union Street. Turn left, walk down past the colorful buildings, then turn right on Kearny. The short hill here will take you back up towards Coit Tower.

When you reach the top of the hill where Kearny meets Filbert, turn right and walk up the stairway that leads to Telegraph Hill Blvd. When you get there, cross over the road to your left and go up the stairs.

Follow the path through Pioneer Park as it takes you below Coit Tower and back down to Telegraph Hill Blvd. There’s lots of natural beauty here, not to mention benches where you can rest your legs if you need to.

Back on Telegraph Hill Blvd, walk down the hill and take in the sweeping views of the San Francisco Bay on your right. You’ll see everything from Treasure Island to the Bay Bridge, the Embarcadero, and the East Bay.

Follow the hill as it curves around and the street name changes to Lombard. On the way you’ll spot the Marconi Memorial on your left. It commemorates Guglielmo Marconi, the Italian inventor of the wireless telegraph.

As you walk down Lombard Street, you’ll get more of a feel for the area’s residential architecture. You might also see a few peek-a-boo views to your right.

When you reach Grant, turn right and walk down to Pfeiffer Street. On your right you’ll see a narrow set of stairs that leads to a hidden space called Jack Early Park. Head up the steps and take in the views of the bay, the bridges, and Alcatraz from the lookout point at the top.

Back down on Grant, cross over where it’s safe and walk down Pfeiffer Street. This narrow road will take you past colorful houses and the skinny stretches of Belair Place as you make your way to Stockton Street.

When you reach Stockton, turn left and continue your Telegraph Hill walk by heading up the hill and all the way down to Filbert Street. You’ll pass by the famous Mama’s on Washington Square restaurant as you go.

When you reach Filbert, you’ll be on the corner of Washington Square Park in North Beach. You can spend some time exploring it and taking in the facade of the famous Saints Peter and Paul Church if you want to.

Whatever you decide, continue your Telegraph Hill walk by taking a left on Filbert and heading up to Grant. Turn right there and follow the street one block down to where you started on the corner of Union. Your self-guided San Francisco walk ends right where it began.

Walk Details and Map

Telegraph Hill Walking Tour

I hope my Telegraph Hill walk has made you excited to get outdoors and explore this part of SF on foot. It’s one of the highlights of San Francisco, and it’s an ideal spot to discover a local part of the City by the Bay.

If you want to see more of the surrounding area, you can do my North Beach walk as well. And if you want to see all my routes and maps in one place, you can take a look at my blog post about self-guided walking tours in San Francisco. I’m sure you’ll enjoy them!

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